Hindsight
by Dark Sephilim
Summary: Percy, the best Fighter of his age, leads armies of the Universes. Annabeth, the top Navigator of her grade, works with battle strategy for the war. Even knowing their inevitable downfall awaits, the army fights on. However, Percy and his Fighter friends think they have a solution. When existence itself rests on your shoulders, what can you do? (Not based completely around romance)


**WOW.**

By the standards of normalcy, the day had started quite nice. The sky was beautifully clear, the wind blew softly over lush, green landscapes, and the newly bloomed flowers of late Spring were radiant. Naturally, something had to go wrong.

Off outside the atmosphere of the planet Earth, a large ship hovers. Its impressive size isn't just for bragging matters; no, the large ship not only houses many smaller ships, but also the groups of Fighters and Navigators who had volunteered to go. Or, in some cases, _had been volunteered. _The fighters were, by nature, aggressive. They were kept separately from the peaceful Navigators, who worked on travel routes and engine upgrades.

Often, Fighter and Navigator pairs (one each per small ship; the Navigator would, obviously, navigate, and let the Fighter fight) would end up feeling romantically for each other. The close quarters and the time spent together was sort of a way of pushing people together. Which was why it was so strange that Alpha and Beta, the two best in stock, argued so often.

Those weren't their real names, of course, just their field/mission names. Alpha went by Percy, but only got called that when he was in large amounts of trouble (often) and... well, when his father decided to talk to him. It was a rare occasion. Beta's real name is Annabeth, but only her Mother calls her that; she never gets into trouble.

That leads back to the 'normal day' problem. As it was normal for the duo of prodigies to argue, nobody thought anything of it. Until it had elevated to parentage; that's when things started getting rough.

"Oh, so what you're saying is that because my mother is younger, and less 'powerful' than your father, that she should be disrespected?" Annabeth exclaims loudly, drawing a few curious glances. Their viewers quickly scurried away, fearing Percy's wrath. He could be... violent. "I never said that," Percy says defiantly, crossing his arms difficultly with his armor obstructing them.

"You implied it!" Annabeth yells, looking ready to pull out hair. Percy, used to fighting, just raises an eyebrow. "Aren't you supposed to be... calm? I mean, you _are _the level headed Navigator, aren't you Beta?" he goads, and Annabeth breathes deeply. "It would be a real shame if... I don't know... your _Mother _found out about this little feud, hm?" he reveals, and Annabeth gasps.

"Alpha, no matter how much of an _asshole _you usually are, you wouldn't dare..." she mutter darkly, but Percy chuckles. "What? Tell her about her star daughter losing her temper? Of course not! Why ever would I do that, Annie?" he whispers, her name rolling off his lips darkly.

Oh. One more thing. Somehow, Percy knew everybody's name. Including hers.

"Well, I guess I could," he says mockingly, leaning in close to her face as she breathes angrily. "but then I would be assigned a new Navigator, and we wouldn't be the best duo out there anymore," he explains, cocking his head to the side. "As a matter of fact, I think I should keep this a secret. A little blackmail never hurt anybody... at least not in such an early stage," he says, and Annabeth fumes.

"If you tell _anybody _that I wasn't _perfectly neat and concise, _you will wake up without your organs tomorrow," she grumbles, admitting defeat. Percy chuckles. "I'm going back to the Fighter section. Have fun in the land of Goody Two Shoes and Education," he says, waving and stalking off. Sighing, Annabeth runs a hand through her hair.

How could she _like _him? And, before anything else could be said... no, it wasn't as a friend. The proclaimed 'close quarters' hadn't done it (Percy usually slept elsewhere; where, she has idea) as much as the time together had. He was... well, he was charming when he wanted to be, or when he wasn't being a complete douche. Which, as a matter of fact, almost never happened. But somehow, her heart still soared at the sight of him.

Other Navigators like her love to mock and berate their Fighters; act like they're... superior, somehow. How they _got away with it _was another matter. The Fighters were a close community, and watched out for each other like brothers and sisters. Stuck in her thoughts, Annabeth almost didn't notice the red lights flash on.

_"Red Alert! Red Alert! Losing Altitude! Arm for Possible Defenses!" _A mechanical female voice says in a monotonous voice. Annabeth goes rigid. Another Red Alert. There had been a lot of those lately, but all for attacks. Those, she could handle, but altitude... something was wrong _internally. _That was bad. Suddenly, her heart stops. Percy.

He was with the other Fighters... in the Fighting Ring, no doubt. They would hear this, but... could they get to safety in time? The Navigators all come from rich families, and the Fighters... well, they come from long lines of Fighters, who are often from poor people from the colonies. Annabeth's own mother was a rich politician, while Percy's father is a well respected Fighter, albeit a poor one. All in all, the Navigators were kept in better sections of the ship than the Fighters. They would have a much harder time getting to safe ground.

Shaking her head, Annabeth walks back to her room calm and collected. She was the daughter of Athena Chase, goddammit! She could handle a little pressure!

But under her facade, Annabeth knew why she was worried. _She _isn't in trouble, her Fighter is.

Strapping into her seat warily, Annabeth crosses her fingers for luck as she watches the door anxiously. Nobody enters. Her ears pop wildly, but all she can see is the still door. Still means that nobody is entering, which means that Percy remains on the ship with nothing to hold his body safely should the ship crash. The worst case scenario plays over and over in Annabeth's head as she watches the door.

_"This is Chiron, everybody, and you all need to stay strapped in. We're going to crash. Brace yourselves, and be safe. We are working toward safety. Don't be too worried, children," _the reassuring voice of Chiron, the director of the Navigators, rushes through my earpiece. I wonder if Percy is hearing from Dionysus. Dionysus Castor was, for lack of a better word, _obnoxious. _Divines above, she hoped that he wouldn't give a speech. He really was a terrible leader.

With that, her ears start popping so wildly that she can't ignore it anymore. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she continues to cross her fingers. _  
_

**Sarah (random person's) POV**

"What. The. Hell," I hear my best friend, Carrie whisper as we look at the field. The huge 'new school year' pep rally had come to a complete stop, and people are going to start to panic soon. I probably will too. I just... what?

"That thing just fell into our football field. Out of the sky. The fucking sky, Sarah! We should be dead, Sarah!" Carrie exclaims. Nobody moves. The principal looks bewildered, as does everybody. "What... what do we do?" I whisper, and Carrie looks baffled. "I have no idea."

That's when the hatch opened. It wasn't exactly the stereotypical alien ship opening with fog and shit, but it was close. It opened with a smooth click, and smoke fell out. Coughing echoes out of the hatch, and I hear a few smooth, clear voices complaining. A bunch of people come out of the hatch, and Principal Winston's mouth opens and closes as he raises a finger.

"I don't understand, Chiron! Why has our ship fallen?" A loud voice yells, and the others pipe down. All of us, the entire boarding school population just stares with wide mouths. "Well, Dionysus, it would seem that our turbine failed. It already got shot down once, and we replaced it, but we weren't prepared for one to fail twice," a calmer voice explains, and I choke a little.

"What is happening?" Carrie whisper yells into my ear, but I still can't move. It's just... a dream. Something made up. Not real.

"What, so we're going to live on some peasant planet now?" A male voice asks snottily, and a large group of white clad teenagers exits the hatch. Each looks different, the only alike thing being their white and gold robes. "Seriously, this is a joke, right? A pep rally joke?" Carrie mutters, but I just shake my head. "Where would they get so many people, Carrie?"

"I say we kill them and take the planet," Dionysus says (I have a _very _good memory), and Chiron pales. "Ah, no... that would be a bit unreasonable, wouldn't it be?" he implies uncomfortably, as Principal Winston continues to gape. "Ah, yes, that man seems to be in charge," Chiron says, pointing at Winston. P.W. pales considerably. Chiron chuckles awkwardly. "Why don't you ask him if he has somewhere we can stay, and do some damage control, Dionysus?" he asks softly, and Dionysus stands up tall. "Well, human, do you have somewhere for us to stay?" he asks, and I hiss through my teeth. Carrie looks at me, worried.

"What's wrong?" she asks shakily, and I shake my head. "This is an expensive school, Carrie. We have a _lot _of extra room in the boarding sector," I say, and she pales and groans. "Oh god, we're going to have possibly murderous aliens living with us," she murmurs, and I choke a little. "You actually think they're aliens?" I ask, and she shrugs. "It's sort of hard not to when they're right there," she whispers back.

By this point, P.W. has stammered out the response, "Uh, well... yes, of course, but I fail to see how that will... er, help you, or your... people?"

Dionysus looks back at Chiron, who sighs. "We will need little to no time. We simply need to cover the sight of the humans on the planet, so that they cannot see our ship, not go out in normal human gatherings, and fix our turbine. We have very efficient workers," he attempts to persuade. P.W. nods vigorously, but that might have been because Dionysus started cleaning under his nails with a long, silver knife. "Fantastic!" Chiron exclaims, clapping his hands.

"Navigators, fall in!" he calls, and all the white robe cult people fall into perfect ranks. Chiron looks P.W. right in the eyes, and raises an eyebrow. "I assume that you will show us our rooming cells now?" he prompts, and Dionysus coughs loudly. "Hold your fire, old friend! We still need to wait for my brats!" he calls, and Carrie groans again. "Really? There's more of them?"

I take a deep breath. At this rate... some of us 'lowly humans' are going to have to share rooms with these people.

Coughing erupts from the inside of the pie of rubble that used to be a ship. A clump of black armor clad figures step out, some covered in ash, but mostly fine. Two figures have bloody faces, but that's it. "Wow, thanks for all the help, Mr. D!" One of them calls as they stumble out of the smoking hatch. "Hey, at least they're hot," I hear Carrie mutter next to me, and I elbow her. Hard. "Ow! Yeah, okay, so I have a boyfriend. God forbid that somebody else is hot!" she whisper yells, drawing some strange looks that dissipate quickly. People would rather watch the 'aliens'.

"Fighters, come on, or whatever," Dionysus yells, and they get into... what I guess could be considered ranks, but mostly they're just pushing and shoving each other. They all walk off the football field, and into the school. I can already tell that this is going to be an eventful year. "Did that just happen?" Carrie asks in her normal volume voice, and I hear other people starting to mutter around us. "Ah, um... children, let's go to your rooms! Yes, if you have the limit of people, you most likely won't need to share!" Mrs. Richardson, the English teacher calls, and we all file off the bleachers in fire drill order.

Suddenly, Carrie stops. I bump into her. "What is it?" I ask her softly, dragging her along to avoid conflict with the teachers. "I just realized..." she mutters, and I shake my head. "Be more specific!" She locks eyes with me. "We're the only two in our room. We're going to have to share."

* * *

After rooms were sorted out (many unhappy people were placed together, so 'trading' was allowed by Dionysus for his Fighters. That is... all of the Fighters but two people) the inhabitants of the Argo II all filed into the cafeteria. "Wow, this is a roomy eating section!" One of the Fighters mutters, and suddenly, an argument breaks out.

_"Excuse_ me?" two voices ring out in the awkwardly silent dining area. Chiron looks worried, and he glares at the two boys in front of him. "Please, you two, be quiet!" he mutters, but much of the room's attention is already on them. "I can be way louder than this!" the green eyed boy exclaims, yelling, and the blue eyed boy snorts, the scar running over his eye stretching. "I CAN BE LOUDER THAN HIM!" he yells, and the two start shoving each other.

"Shut up, idiot! You know I'm louder than you!" Percy, or Alpha, yells, raising his fist for a punch. "Oh, yeah, I'm the idiot here!" Luke, or Omicron, exclaims, provoking a few Fighters to look at them. "Fight, fight, fight, fight," they start to chant, until more Fighters, and even a few humble Navigators join in. P.W. pales, looking distraught at the state of his cafeteria. "Stop!" Chiron exclaims, and the two teen boys separate. "You two will room together, you will be grateful, you won't fight, and if I even hear _rumor _of a secret fight ring, you two won't fight with your Navigators for a year! You two have caused a lot of trouble, and you need to show that you can get along." he demands in a rare show of discipline.

they put their heads down and walk away. "Sweet move, moron, now we're stuck together," Omicron whispers as he lightly shoves Alpha. "Not my fault, genius. Like you said, you're the idiot here," he whispers back, digging his elbow into his enemy's side.

Some students had grown a bit more comfortable, and had begun to talk to their friends in hushed tones. "This is what happens when you let Colony dwellers like those Fighters into military ranks," Octavian, or Zeta, mutters as he eats a piece of bread. All of the Fighters who heard him tense, but don't move. "If you know what's good for you, Zeta, you'll shut your mouth. Now," Alpha growls, and a few surrounding Fighters nod slowly, some cracking knuckles or necks. A few meters away, the humans sit, not seeing the conflict already brewing so early.

Octavian, knowing when to stop, shuts his mouth. Annabeth looks at her hands from her position next to Octavian. Each of the best Fighter and Navigator pairs got team names from the Greek alphabet. The Greeks had had the most influence from the rest of the Universe, after all, just followed by the Romans. Each of the people who were well known Fighters or Navigators were usually the children of the 'Olympians'.

They were the ones named 'Athena' or 'Zeus'. Of course, those weren't their real names; they were simply titles. Every generation, a new 'god' took the place of the recently deceased, making their presence seem immortal. Currently, there is an entire legion of the Olympians. Many of the Fighters and Navigators come from past 'gods', too. As an example, Hephaestus Beckendorf was recently replaced by Hephaestus Valdez. The rest are stated here:

Zeus Grace, Hera (she never has a determined last name, due to tradition), Poseidon Jackson, Hades DiAngelo, Demeter Gardner, Hestia (no last name there either), Ares La Rue, Apollo Solace-Fletcher, Hermes Stoll, Aphrodite McClean, Artemis Nightshade (that last name is constant; it never changes, even with the changing of whoever has the title as Artemis), Hephaestus Valdez, and Dionysus Castor. Dionysus is known by the first name of his eldest daughter or son. During the rule of one of the title bearers, somebody else can take their place. The most recent change was the change from Hephaestus Beckendorf to Hephaestus Valdez. The best pairs are shown here, shown in Fighter-Navigator order:

Perseus "Percy" Jackson, son of Poseidon, and Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena are Alpha and Beta. Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, and Zoe Nightshade, champion of the current Artemis, are Gamma and Delta. Nico DiAngelo, son of Hades, and Frank Zhang, son of the previous Ares, are Epsilon and Eta. Katie Gardner, daughter of Demeter, and Travis Stoll, son of Hermes, are Theta and Iota. Luke Castellan, son of the previous Hermes, and Hazel Levesque, daughter of the previous Hades, are Omicron and Lambda. Charles Beckendorf, son of the previous Hephaestus, and Silena Beauregard, daughter of the previous Aphrodite, are Mu and Nu. Bianca DiAngelo, daughter of Hades, and Piper McClean, daughter of Aphrodite, are Xi and Kappa. Connor Stoll, son of Hermes, and Will Solace, son of Apollo, are Pi and Rho. Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares, and Lee Fletcher, son of Apollo, are Tau and Sigma. Rachel and Octavian (being Oracles, no last names can be given in official writings) are Phi and Zeta. Castor, son of Dionysus, and Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, are Chi and Psi. Jason, son of Zeus, is Upsilon. His navigator and parter, Omega, used to be Pollux, son of Dionysus. He was lost in a recent battle.

Of course, there are others. Drew and Gwen, both children of former Aphrodite title bearers. Malcolm, son of the previous Athena. So many others.

The Olympian Council is known for their strengths, and very rarely ever thought to have any weaknesses except by others on the council, and their own children. After all, years of neglect and loathing will do that to most.

Zeus, being the 'ruler', is harsh. He raised Thalia and Jason to be leaders, and just as ruthless as him. Hades is respectfully cold, but always respectful at least. Demeter constantly pushes her children to be kindhearted and caring. Etc., etc.

Athena raises her children from birth, and is even stricter than Zeus. Her children are made to be perfect, and she accepts nothing but perfection.

Poseidon is usually a Fighter, risen from a poor planet and a poor district, who shows a cold and ruthless persona, then sticks with it. You can imagine being raised by that... or, in some cases, ignored by that.

Back to the story.

Chiron walks up to the Fighter table and clears his throat. They all quiet down. Looking at him curiously, Beckendorf smiles. "Hey Chiron. Whatcha doing hangin out with 'street scum' like us Fighters?" he asks jokingly, and Chiron chuckles. "Be calm, children. Octavian can be a handful, I'll grant him that," he responds, before looking serious again. "Now. I would like to set some ground rules."

Hearing the groans from the table, he puts up a hand. "I know, I know... but remember, this _is not your ship. _We are on somebody else's property. I expect no parties," he looks straight at Thalia, who grins slightly, "I expect no alcohol," he glares at Nico, "I expect no... _extra curricular activities," _he warns, staring at Piper, and she blushes. "I expect no excessive screaming," he glares lightly at Luke and Connor who both smile, "and most of all... I expect absolutely no fighting, unless it is warranted by an attack," he says harshly, staring straight at Percy. He sticks up his hands.

"Whatever, man. With the threat of our parents descending from the heavens to take us home, I am _not _risking getting in trouble with my dear father," he states, and Nico squints his eyes, using his underused voice for once. "What do you mean, our parents?" he asks, his throat dry and raspy.

"I mean that our parents are going to come and pick some of us up. I heard the call come on Dionysus' communicator," he says wittily, and Chiron raises an eyebrow. "You did what?" he asks, and Percy rolls his eyes. "Please, Chiron. Dionysus isn't exactly the king of subtlety. I'm sure that a lot of people knew already with how loud he has that thing set," he defends, and Chiron sighs. "Alright, eat up, all of you. Be vigilant, and decide on a night watch; we can never be too careful on foreign turf."

As the old Navigator walks away, Luke turns to Percy. "So, when's the Fight Ring going up?"

* * *

Three days later, the people of the school had gotten into an almost rhythm. The ship-dwelling beings all slept and ate, and the humans went on with their lives, growing more and more used to the antics of said space-dwellers. Even if it was so out of the box, the idea of aliens couldn't exactly be denied, could it? There was living proof sitting in front of them all.

This brings us to now.

Rachel, or Phi, bangs on her best friend's (and hopefully something more someday) door. "Hey! Get up! Get up! Get up!" she yells, and the door creaks open. A hand reaches out, grasping her throat, but she doesn't panic; she knows who it is, and why they're reacting like this. The door shuts as she gets dragged inside.

"What," a male voice growls into her ear, pressing her against the door roughly, "do you think you're doing?"

"Percy!" she exclaims, and he releases her immediately, looking at her with bleary eyes. "Rachel... Poseidon, I should've known it was you..." he mutters, and he glares at his friend. "What are you doing here, Dare?" he asks, his voice tired. Rachel crosses her arms, glaring at the human staring at them with wide eyes. "Turn around!" she yells, and they do, with haste. Turning back to Percy, she smiles. "I have really good news."

"What?" he asks, suddenly listening. Rachel doesn't get excited often. "Okay, okay... so it's two things. Firstly, I have a perfect spot for the Ring," she reveals, and Percy grins, cracking his back and knuckles. He yawns and throws an arm around her shoulders, not seeing her burning cheeks with his close proximity. "And second of all, Chiron says we can start joining the humans at 'school'!"

He releases her, gaping and sputtering. "What? Rachel... how is this good news? How are... wait... what even..." he stammers, unable to think straight. School? He had already completed training and learning about battle, plus a little needed math and language! How is this helpful in the slightest?

As if seeing his question, Rachel sighs. "Percy, it's a good idea, you watch. Who knows... maybe the humans can teach us a few things," she pleads, and Percy just sighs, running a hand through his messy black hair. "I trust your judgement," he grumbles, and Rachel beams. "However, if this totally sucks, don't think I'll keep coming," he states, and Rachel continues beaming. "I know you'll like it Percy, I just know it! Especially the classes... twenty whole people in each!"

Percy gapes at that too. During training, there were only three person per class, because the pace was so rigorous. You needed a small amount of people to be able to keep up at the same speed. "Rachel, as... uh... 'fun' as that sounds, are you sure somebody like me, with somewhat apparent anger issues being around a lot of people in a confined space is a good idea?" he asks slowly, and Rachel crosses her arms, before sighing. Reaching out, Rachel grasps her friend's shoulders.

"Percy, I know that you can do this. And, in addition, you can't back out of something you're already signed up for," she whispers, kissing his cheek before leaving. Percy runs a hand through his hair. "Fine. Whatev- wait, what?"

* * *

Exactly two days later, all of the Fighters and Navigators who signed up (or were signed up by others) for human school get prepared.

"No... no, not exactly... nope..." Drew Tanaka, a wealthy daughter of the former Aphrodite and navigator, stresses about what clothing to wear. Her roommate, Annabeth, glares at her as she pulls her long, burly blond hair up into a loose ponytail. Her outfit was already chosen. A long white dress that was held up by the collar around her neck, cut with a fitting body and a modest length skirt. Small touches of gold and light blue shine occasionally with a flick of her skirt, and she smiles into her mirror at her white eye shadow. The traditional dress of her planet.

To be more detailed, each planet does have a 'traditional dress'. However, unlike on dear Annabeth's planet, fashion is not always a thing to get worked up about.

There are, in total, only four universes. However, The Universe (the second newest one) known as the 'Milky Way' has the fewest planets by a long shot. The beings found on Mercury are usually unfriendly, and consist of molten rock. When the rock hardens (when the beings are taken to a colder climate) the monstrosities become uncontrollable, indestructible arcs of fighting capability. They got the most recognition for destroying part of the Old Universe (which will be brought into the story later) when used by the Titans, a malicious outside force. Seeing as these creatures are made of magma, lava, or rocks at all points in time, clothing isn't exactly a necessity.

From Venus is one of the many varieties of Nymphs. The heat Nymphs, unlike their peaceful counterparts, usually seek out battles and arguments. They are known fro getting into common wars with the magma and lava beings of Mercury, and wear flaming outfits of browns, reds, and oranges.

Life on Mars was annihilated, as was the life found on Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus. Neptune is the home to some of the water Nymphs. Unlike what the humans of Earth think, Neptune is not a 'gas' planet. Although a large atmosphere of water is present, the Nymphs live on the tiny solid planet beneath that atmosphere. They are peace loving, but in the upcoming war, some have joined the army in hopes of keeping their families and planet safe.

Pluto is home to the peaceful giants called Hyperborians. They can freeze the air by simply breathing, and only enter battle or wars when directly threatened. Although notably stupid and dense, the giants are friendly, kind, and innocent. They enjoy collecting trash left behind when ships use a Pluto as a rest stop, and make wreaths and necklace chains out of it.

The second universe of great importance would be the previously mentioned Old Universe. It's name had been the Great Universe, but after the other three formed, it lost it's title to the Newest Universes. It has over 300 planets, all different sizes.

As a matter of fact, the Milky Way is the only planet to have all of the planets revolving around a single star. Most of the other Universes consist of many smaller planets revolving around their own 'suns', or simply gathering heat from the inside of their planets. Most beings from all of the Universes are very adaptable. Humans and shades, found on Ulsa, a planet in the New Universe, are the most sensitive to temperature change. All of the beings from the Old Universe can survive a wide variety of temperatures.

The sheer amount of planets in the three Universes not called the Milky Way is so great that naming them all would be, honestly, a great waste of time. However, naming the properties of each of the Universes wouldn't be much of a stretch.

The Old Universe, often referred to as the 'Original Universe', is quite obviously the oldest. It is commonly known for being dangerous for anybody and everybody who dares to inhabit it. As the Universal Government Union (referred to from this point on as UGU) focuses on developing the newest Universes, the Old one is left to rot, as are the people held within. Gangs slowly took over the area until there was nowhere else to take over except already used land. Thus, the gang turf wars began in the Old Universe.

The Middle Ground, the second oldest Universe, is the pride of the Army. The bulk of the Fighters and many of the Navigators originate from that Universe. It is known as the land of discipline, the land of determination, etc. It is one of the two older Universes, so living in this Universe is no easy job, but the people within take pride in carrying on with their lives as if all is well, and continuing to train good soldiers whether or not they have food at night.

The Milky Way, otherwise known as the land of Ignorance and Rest. Anybody hoping for a quick vacation or a small brawl with no consequence travel to this Universe, although the UGU is attempting to make it grow into an impressive Military base.

The New Universe is the Land of Plenty. Supplies from this Universe are sent frequently to the UGU base, which sits safely inside of the New Universe itself. The Navigators not from the Middle Ground are from the New Universe. Most of the well known or respected people from the New Universe are either extreme war heroes that simply couldn't be ignored, or wealthy politicians. The beings of this Universe live a comfortable, if slightly parent and peer pressured, lives.

Annabeth and Drew are both from the New Universe. Drew comes from the Stroa District, where trading, shopping, high fashion, style, and manners are key to success. Her entrance to the army not only shamed her entire family in the Stroa District, but also prompted her to be exiled from the Region herself. It remains unknown why she entered in the first place. Annabeth is from the high-Government-low-Love sector known as the Biah Region. She was trained to be a perfect politician from a young age, but gave that up to be a Navigator.

Perseus Jackson is from the Old Universe, from the Bor Region. Not only is the Bor one of the worst regions, but it is also in the center of many of the gang turf wars. He grew up with fighting and death and blood and gore all around him. His father, after being named Poseidon, left Bor in favor of the New Universe. He left Percy and Salina, his mother, behind in the Bor. After watching his mother get killed, Percy joined the army in hopes of not only spiting his father after reaching the top, but also in order to prevent the same thing from happening to another.

Rachel is from the Middle Ground. She, being from one of the few rich families with governmental ties in the Middle Ground as a whole, was expected to be a Navigator. And a good one at that. She reveled in watching the faces of her fellow peers and civilians when she announced that she would be joining the Fighter squad.

She never was one for doing the 'right' thing.

In reality, Rachel would've been just as happy being away from home in most situations. Navigator, Fighter... it didn't really matter. That is, until orientation day. A month before recruiting, you could go see the living quarters, the current Fighters and Navigators, etc. It was, and is, a two week long affair. She went, of course. All the way to the New Universe, and she was awed. Awed at the shining white walkways, and huge gleaming cities, and the enormous overflowing gardens. At the people, and the clothing, and the hairstyles.

The Navigators were better treated. That much was obvious as soon as you could see the living quarters. Meals too. But then she saw _him, _and everything changed.

Green eyes and black hair, pulled back roughly with a long piece of ripped cloth. Light scars already visible on his skin. A loose tank top, and long pants, covered in dirt, grime, and dust that could only mean the Old Universe. And he _smiled _at her. And they talked, and eventually he told her about his Mother, and his Father, and how she couldn't tell anybody, and how he was going to be the best fighter. He was going to beat his father if it killed him. _If it killed him. _

Even after ten days, just ten days, the thought made her heart stop beating in her chest. It made the air constrict, it made her brain stop working. Not because he was 'oh so cute' (which she had definitely heard before; probably from that Drew character) but because he didn't deserve that. He had already been through so much; why did he have to push it? Couldn't it all just be okay without him dying somehow?

Bonds were made during the Orientation. Allies and enemies. And after recruiting and training, those allies and enemies remained. They still do.

Back to the story.

Percy Jackson also prepares for the school day, with his best friend Rachel next to him. Her flaming her hair is already tied back in a cloth strip, just like he had showed her to long ago. A green strip. Both wear only underwear (Percy's roommate had already bailed as soon as Rachel came in wearing only a bra and underwear) but are comfortable; they're Fighters.

"Percy, should I wear the sappy outfit from my home planet, or should I go for what I want?" she asks, holding up two outfit choices, and Percy looks at them both carefully. "Go with the home planet one; you can probably fit like five throwing knives in that belt," he says, and Rachel brightens. "Too true!" she exclaims, slipping on the grey dress. It's seeming made out of metal, and hangs midway up the thigh. Thin straps hold in up, and a large belt sits at her middle.

Percy wears a large leather-like (made from the shedded skin of Kampe) jacket with his name on the side, albeit faded. long black pants and sturdy black boots, along with a grey tank top underneath, with the number '13' on it. Fingerless black gloves and a beanie that doubles as a ski mask sits on his head. Grinning, Percy stands up tall. "I'm going with my planet's 'outfit' too. Long pants for covered skin, leather jacket and shirt for gang approval, boots for running, hat-mask for just in case government run ins, and gloves for warmth when being held in jail cells," he says, and Rachel laughs. She links her arm in his.

"Let's go then, Mr. Old Universe," she jokes, and Percy laughs. "I do look like the personification of the OU, don't I? Should I spread some dirt on my face?" he asks, and Rachel rolls her eyes. "Let's go, seriously. I'm hungry."

Upon entering the cafeteria, Rachel laughs. "God, it's like orientation all over again," she mutters to Percy, who stifles laughs as well. Everybody wears the clothing from their planets, from flaming dresses, to tribal tattoos (no shirts), to studded armor. "Alpha! Phi!" a gruff voice calls, and the pair turns to see Beckendorf approaching. His tribal tattoos look authentic, even though he probably just put fake ones on for a while; culture gets you ridicule from the Fighters. "Yo, Mu!" Rachel smiles, hugging her friend. "You signed up?" she asks, and Beck smiles. "Duh. How could I miss out?" he asks, and Percy sees a flash of black hair and blue eyes. Silena. "Oh really? Are you sure it's not because of Nu?" he asks, mentioning his friend's Navigator, and obvious crush. Beckendorf blushes deeply. "Oh, shut up," he mutters.

Rachel grins, and pulls Percy away. Even with the outrageous outfits, the outcome wasn't all that impressive. Only twenty three people. "Cereal!" Rachel exclaims, pulling Percy forward, and he complies, grinning at his friend. "You sound like the current Demeter," Percy mutters, and Rachel laughs loudly. "I sound like all the Demeter's. They're the guardians of Agriculture... they need to love plants, which includes wheat. Speaking of, shouldn't the UGU be hounding Earth about adding to the Wheat reserves? They always hound on the Middle Ground, and probably the poorer regions of the New Universe," Rachel says, and Percy shrugs.

"The humans apart from the ones in this school have no idea life on other _planets _is a thing. How would they act if beings from another universe appeared and told them a wheat quota?" Percy asks lightly, and Rachel balks. "Did my best friend just say something intelligent?" she asks jokingly, and Percy rolls his eyes playfully. "Whatever Dare. Let's just get some wheat flakes."

After getting cereal, Percy and Rachel sit down. elsewhere, Annabeth has trouble getting along with others.

"Octavian, stop." She demands, and the boy shuts up quickly. The past hour, he had been muttering and sometimes outright ranting, making full sermons basically, about how 'below the standard' the human race is. Their 'temperature sensitivity' and 'demeaning attitudes' and 'elementary clothing'; it was really ridiculous at first, but now, it's just about personal. Annabeth befriended many humans.

"Octavian, look at yourself. No matter how much you wish it wasn't, your planet's traditional clothing choice is just a human Italian suit. Their attitudes really are normal, and shades are just as sensitive as these humans. As a matter of fact, they're more sensitive than the humans," she says, her voice even and smooth. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena Chase, doesn't lose her cool easily.

Back with Rachel and Percy.

"Why don't _you _ask somebody?" Percy nudges his friend, who won't meet his eyes. Even with the new guests present, the school Winter Dance is on. "Well..." Rachel mutters, scratching under her flaming red ponytail. "C'mon Rachel. It's a big army. You have no like _somebody _in our ranks. Is it a Navigator? It is, isn't it? You don't want me to get on your back about it? RED, seriously, don't worry. I'll accept anybody you want," he pleads, but Rachel looks away. "Percy, it's not a Navigator. Okay?"

She looks at him, his messy hair and Kampe jacket, and sighs. Chuckling, she finally meets his eyes. "No. He definitely isn't a Navigator. Just... I'll tell you when I'm ready. Alright? I promise you, I will," she says, and the suddenly serious conversation comes to a stop.

"Let's go to our classes. We have history first. It is a class similar to the history class that Navigators take about the Universes, but on a much smaller scale. It seems simple enough," she says with a shrug, and Percy nods slowly. "Let's jump."

Seeing the two Fighters leaving, a few people follow them. "Hey, Alpha!" A tinkling voice calls out, and a hand with chipping black nail polish lands on Percy's shoulder as Rachel stiffens on his arm. "Xi! Tau! Upsilon!" Percy responds, grinning at Bianca, Clarisse, and Jason respectively. "How are you?" Bianca asks lightly, hand still resting on Percy's shoulder. Ignoring her hand, Percy shrugs. "I dunno. This school thing seems easier than I thought it would be though... or at least easier than training. I love the jacket, by the way," he says, noticing her gang allegiance jacket. Brown and soft, a sign of the Fallen Forces Supply Group.

Clarisse grunts, looking unhappily at her dress. Being from the Middle Ground, she's wearing a similar dress to Rachel, but longer, and with a less revealing chest line. Jason wears a clean cut suit, showing off his position as one of the only Fighters in the Universes ever to come from the NU. "Ah, look at us, a group of Fighters going to get an education," Percy jokes, and Jason chortles. "Oh yeah... hey, did you see Octavian this morning? He was whining about human fashion," Jason comments, and Rachel snorts.

"When is that boy going to get over himself?" Rachel asks, not expecting an answer. Bianca rolls her eyes. "Never. He's never going to get over himself because his ego is just so damn big," she responds, and Rachel nods in agreement, still occasionally glaring at Bianca's hand on her best friend's shoulder. "Oh yeah, when's the Ring going up, man?" Jason asks, and Percy shrugs. "I dunno. Luke and I are gonna put it up together, with Rachel obviously, since we'll use it the most on each other. As for where it's going... well, Rachel said she had a good spot, but nothing's definite. You'll be the first to know when something is, though," he assures, and Bianca beams. "Well, we'll be waiting!"

Rachel mutters softly, something tat sounds suspiciously like 'suck up'. Nobody hears, fortunately, but she can't help it, _goddammit! _Why did Bianca have to flirt so blatantly with her friend? Sure, maybe he is a good guy (at least to his friends) and actually quite good looking, but Rachel had liked him forever. She can't just bust in and take him from her. Percy, however, is just so... oblivious? It's not like she can blame the guy for not stopping something he doesn't even notice, at any rate.

"Woah," Jason says all of a sudden, putting out his arms to stop his friends. "We're here."

The classroom door looms in front of the Fighters, and they look at it. "We're on time," Jason assures, and Bianca coughs lightly. "Should I... open it?" she asks, and Percy shrugs. "I don't know. I mean, usually for our classes, it's just like... come on time of suffer. I don't know what to do. Are we late, or early?" he asks, and Clarisse grunts. "I don't care either way," she says, kicking the door with all of her force.

She enters the doorway, clearing away dust with her hand. A few students sit in the room, gaping at their clothing and behavior. The history teacher looks shocked. "I am so sorry," Rachel mumbles, glaring at Clarisse. "That's the way to do it," Bianca mutters. "If something gets in your way, kick it down!" Percy and Jason step through the doorway, and Percy gives a discreet thumbs up to the daughter of Ares, while Jason just shakes his head with a grin.

"Ah, yes... the new students. Well, I do hope we can be... welcoming here?" the history teacher speaks after a few minutes of awkward silence, and a few students nod slowly.

Percy raises his hand slowly in the back of the class, and Rachel sighs, putting her head in her hands. "Hello, sir, I couldn't help but overhear my future predicting friend mumbling about the fact that we're learning about ancient Greece, and can I just say that we're already experts?" he interjects before the teacher can begin ranting again. Said teacher looks agitated.

He ignores the 'future predicting friend' (he really just wasn't in the mood) and skips right ahead. "Alright, Mr..." he trails off, and Percy nods. "Percy Jackson," he finishes, and Mr. Balduin nods. "Mr. Jackson. What makes you think this?" Mr. Balduin asks, and Percy shrugs. "Dude, no offense, but we know all about your 'ancient civilizations'. They were the only ones in the history of your entire planet that have ever known of the existence of other universes. The Greeks are the most respected, because they worshiped our Union Leaders as gods and goddesses, but the Egyptians were also pretty rad. Who did you think built the Pyramids? I'll admit, the Union did a pretty bad job keeping the things up to date, but they're still standing. That's a little impressive for that time, isn't it?

"The humans at that time were as smart as, if not smarter, than the humans today. They honestly didn't have the morals usually, but hey; they weren't stupid. Your 'technology' is usually wrong, and you only see what the Union wants you to see. Life is present not only on Mars, but even on your own Moon. Other things weren't needed, as people were happier with the simpler things in life, and could appreciate things around them, like nature, and didn't need phones or computers," Percy rants, and Jason lets out a long, low whistle. Mr. Balduin looks stunned.

"Damn, Perce! Who knew you were paying attention in those classes?" he speculates, and Percy shrugs. "Hey, with my dad, it's hard not to." That shuts Jason up, because even with his father being the Zeus, he at least gets some attention.

"Ah... so, your... 'Union Leaders' were the Greek gods and goddesses? It is possible to achieve immortality?" he asks, and Percy rolls his eyes. "Duh. Has been for centuries with the New Universe shit, but it's pretty illegal unless absolutely necessary. Those 'gods and goddess' names are actually considered titles, and titles of utter importance at that. Zeus is King and rules all the airspace, Demeter watches over agriculture and landscaping throughout all of the Universes, and other things like that. Honestly, you would've thought that all the different depictions of the gods may have made you humans think that maybe they were changing, but no," Percy answers, rolling his eyes.

Mr. Balduin looks slightly offended, but not overly so. More fascinated. "Please, tell more about the Pyramids," he asks, and the human students in the room all look at the Fighter group. Percy cracks his shoulders. "Alright. So, the Egyptians were always respectful and stuff. The other universes really only communicated with Earth for goods at that time, so the names of our leaders were unclear. That's how we end up with names like Ra and Anubis. They still fit quite well at any rate, but whatever. The Universal Government Union then decided that there should be more Earthen interaction, and the Pyramids was a great new idea. Not only could it serve as an amazing monument, one where the Egyptians would hold their respected rulers, but it could also be a landing strip of sorts. Once you get within range, it's pretty hard to miss a huge pyramid. The old ships had bottoms with a large indent that perfectly fit that of the Pyramid, and communication increased.

"That communication stayed present, and was already established when the Greeks eventually came into play. Right before things really started getting written down, or when the 'A.D.' part of your timeline begins, all communication with the Earth was cut off by the Union. Nobody goes in, nobody goes out. No one really knows why but the Union, and they keep that stuff quiet," Percy says, looking slightly bored, but the students are still staring, wide eyed. "So, the Pyramids _were _made by aliens?" A girl asks, and Bianca rolls her eyes. "I think that's what that whole three minute rant was," she specifies, and the girl blushes.

"What about the Romans?" A boy asks, and Jason smacks Percy's shoulder lightly. "I'll take this one. See, the Romans changed the names as they saw fit, but the titles were still the same. As with Egypt originally, the connection wasn't too great with the Union and the Romans. They were slightly angry, or, at least, a _lot _of them were angry about how the Romans depicted them. Even with new people holding the titles of all of the 'gods', the connection grew less and less. Their angry personalities made them seem more warlike, which made the Romans follow suit. Some, like the Ares at that time, eventually warmed up to the Romans and were bathed in glory because of their added contact," he says matter of factly, and Percy snorts.

"Dude, you were hounding me for studying but I swear that was cited exactly from the book," he jokes, and Jason rolls his eyes. "Hey, I always liked the Romans better. They made my Dad's position slightly less guilty for sleeping around," he mutters, and Percy chortles. "I love the Romans, man! They made dear Poseidon look like an idiot! Anyway, yeah. We 'aliens' used to have a pretty big impact on the Earth." He concludes, locking eyes with Mr. Balduin.

The teacher closes his hanging jaw, and scratches the back of his head. "Ah... yes. You wouldn't mind meeting me back here again in a few days, so I could record all of this, would you?" he asks (begs) the group, and Percy shrugs. "Why not?" he comments, and Mr. Balduin looks ready to explode. "Fantastic! Just tell me when. As for the rest of this class period... ah, talk quietly among yourselves. And I mean _quietly," _the teacher glares lightly before turning away from the class.

Said class turns to the Fighters as a whole, and Rachel narrows her eyes. "What?" she asks sharply, and a few people look away. "Well, are you going to tell more stories of what?" A boy asks, and Bianca chuckles, punching Rachel's shoulder 'lightly'. "I don't see the trouble in that. Hey, why don't I tell you the story of my home planet?" she suggests, and Rachel narrows her eyes at the black haired daughter of Hades.

Seeing the excited nodding, Bianca rolls up her jacket sleeves. "Jackson can help me with this one. See, the two of us are both from what is referred to as the 'Bor Region', but don't let the name fool you. The place is anything _but _a bore. Humans always seem to depict aliens as warlike, and super developed, or amazingly peaceful. Those two descriptions depict the Middle Ground, which is basically just the second oldest universe, and the New Universe. I think that name is pretty self explanatory," she begins, glancing at Percy.

Seeing this a a cue, Percy rubs his gloved palms together. "Alright. So the Bor Region is part of the Old Universe, which, as Bianca said, is 'pretty self explanatory'," he mocks in a high pitched voice, narrowly avoiding Bianca's fist. He rolls his eyes. "Anyway, the specific planet we're from is a small one called Della. It's a bit smaller than Earth, and it's known for its black market where you can buy anything from illegal weapons to various organs," he continues, before grinning. "At least, that's what it used to be known for."

Bianca grins too. "Some time right before Percy and I were born, Bor began raging in what is commonly known as a 'Turf War'. The three gangs involved were the Fallen, the Balsi, and the Draught. The Fallen are basically the people from the Bor Region, who don't want anybody touching the land. The Balsi are the punks from the New Region who want to fight just for the sake of causing trouble. The Draught are a group of pretty dangerous Shades that are _very _good at getting what they want," she explains.

"That's where we grew up," Percy says gruffly. "In a place that got bombed every other day, with criminals at every corner, offering you a two week old Dracaenae liver, and gang leaders pressuring you into joining. Obviously, they got to Bi and I while we were relatively young; the age of seven," he states, gesturing to their jackets. "Bianca's isn't as cool as mine because she just Supplies stuff. I, myself, enjoy the action packed life as a member of the Fallen Council," he says, chuckling.

The bell rings loudly, and the Fighters all jump up, scaring a few humans out of their chairs. "Well!" Percy exclaims, cracking his back. "I think that I've had enough of this!"

Rachel grabs his shoulder before he can walk away, and briskly pulls him to a stop. "I don't think so, Mister. You still have five more classes today," she warns, and her friend glares at her. "I think this single period was quite educational enough. As a matter of fact, I know for a fact that our next class is completely useless," he says, and Rachel pulls out their schedule. "Math?" she mutters, and Bianca groans.

"Math? That's for the Navigators!" she protests, and Percy nods vigorously. Jason sighs. "We have Physical Education right after, and I heard through Octavian's little 'gossip circle' that they're doing wrestling. You can vent your anger there," he says, and the two straighten. A few of the remaining humans pale, packing up to leave the room more quickly.

Clarisse slings her arm around Bianca's shoulders, shaking her old friend. "Let's go; the faster we get to the stupid class, the faster we get to beating people up," she says, and the group of five exits.

When they arrive at the classroom (on time, surprisingly) they are startled to find that they aren't alone. There's a group of Navigators, wearing their clean dresses and good haircuts. Clarisse mutters something about 'stupid clean cut buzz hair cuts', and the groups glare at each other. "I told you. Math is for Navigators," Bianca whispers into Percy's ear, and he nods jerkily. "Correct," he mumbles back.

"What's a rag tag group like you doing here?" A voice calls, out, and Percy barely refrains from groaning. "Octavian," Percy says finally, looking at the Navigator. "Ah, I'm loving the suit. Italian, if I'm correct?" he asks, and Octavian fumes. "I'll have you know that this was specially tailored on my planet!" he exclaims, and Percy shrugs. "Oh. I couldn't tell the difference."

Let's put the current situation on a temporary hold.

The Fighters and Navigators weren't always so temperamental toward each other. As a matter of fact, the two factions were actually on quite good terms. As the saying goes, 'Opposites attract'.

That didn't last long.

After the first war (the Council overthrew the previous tyrannous rulers), four artifacts were honored above all others. Those artifacts were the Spear, the Chain, the Shield, and the Helm. The extreme power these artifacts held was so great that the Fighters and Navigators began fighting over who would wield which, and ultimately who would get more power.

Seeing the controversy the artifacts caused, the Original Council hid the four objects away into various desolate, dark corners of the Universes in the hopes that they would never be found.

The previously mentioned 'extreme power' will be explained currently.

The Spear was the artifact of offensive activity. The army which wields the Spear will be just _that _much more fearsome in battle, and have _that _much more skill. Its very presence demands all of its fighters to battle with renewed vigor.

The Chain can be used to hold down any enemy for all of eternity. It has no limit of creatures it may contain, and therefore can infinitely stop deadly or malicious forces from reforming.

The Shield, much like the Spear, is based on war and battle. Any army that has the Shield will be nearly impossible to beat, as their defensive strategy and plays will hold the general greatness of said Shield.

Finally, the Helm. The Helm grants power, the power to rule over an army of even greater power. As with any group of objects with absolute power, there is a catch. An army may wield the Spear, the Chain or the Shield; but not together. Only one can be used at a time. At the point in time when all three objects are collected, the army can wield said power under the control of the Helmsman, the wearer of the Helm.

Unknown to almost anybody, the mentioned group of Fighters (and a few more) that have just begun human schooling has been studying the four artifacts. They've been meeting up secretly, under the notion that they're having a 'secret fighting ring' that only the elite can get into. Not only do they know what the objects are, but they've also narrowed down the planets on which each of the objects can be contained.

They plan and scheme under the radar to collect the objects, not for themselves, but for the greater good of the entire army. It is a hopeless war that they fight, one that can only be won with the power collected under the Helmsman.

Back to the story.

"Jackson-" Octavian begins as he fumes, but the teacher strolls in, interrupting him. "Hello class! My name is Ms. Burndhart, and I am _very _sorry for being late; I ran into a few complications with the copying machine," she says, and a few students chuckle lightly at that.

"Now, the reason I introduced myself is for the benefit of our new students; if you're new here, please raise your hand," she requests, and the exchange students all do so slowly. "Ah, yes! A large group... good. Currently, we're working on basic geometry," she explains, and Rachel peeks at her schedule quickly, before putting it back down and refraining from groaning. Not just any math; _Remedial Math. _

"Do our new students know anything about basic angle measurements, or how they compare to one another not only on regular, but also irregular figures?" she asks, and Octavian rolls his eyes. "Of course we do. We're not idiots. Or, at least, _we _aren't," he gestures to his friends and himself, "but I can't vouch for the likes of _them," _he says snidely.

"By that, dear Octavian means that yes, we do have that very basic common knowledge," Rachel snarks back, and Ms. Burndhart chuckles nervously, tugging at her turtleneck collar. "Ah... good, then! Let's begin, then. Please open your books to pages four and five," she specifies.

The rest of the class passes without incident, but not without a few choice glares exchanged.

"To the gym!" Bianca exclaims as soon as the bell rings, jumping up and giving Percy a high five. "Let's do this!''

The five friends run (yes, they run) to the gym, not caring about ruffled dresses or misplaced sleeves or other things that people like Octavian seem so keen on complaining about.

"Okay, Cupcakes!" a strict voice calls out, and Percy can't help but grin. It reminds him of his old trainer, Coach Hedge. Ah, that guy was the satyr. He was from the Middle Grounds, so he was pretty resilient, and he had no problem getting physical when the situation called for it. Getting caught fighting by the Coach was the best, considering the fact that he didn't really do anything to interfere, he just sort of watched the fight.

"In case there are any of those 'new students' here," he begins, not bothering to look up from his clipboard, "my title is Coach. And you'll call me Coach," he says. Percy's grin widens. The guy really is like Coach Hedge...

"If you've been living under a rock for the last two weeks, then this conversation is for you! We're working on wrestling. I don't care if you just got here or whatever, the rest of us have been working on our wrestling for the past two weeks, and today is evaluation! Just... uh... do your best or whatever. Yeah. In honor of said new students, I'm letting you pick your own partners. Don't think this is going to be a common occurrence now."

Bianca looks right at Percy, only to see him already paired with Jason. She looks for Clarisse, but she's with... Chris? What? He's not even a Fighter! Whatever... that leaves...

Rachel meets Bianca's eyes, and inhales deeply. "Would you like to be my partner?" she asks rather stiffly, and Bianca nods in a professional manner. "Of course. Let's go change," Bianca replies, and they walk off in tense silence.

oooOO00OOooo

"Alright, attention on me, or detention!" Coach exclaims, and the recently-changed high school students look at him expectantly. "Now, I want fair fighting today! It's basically the gym class equivalent of an exam. If some unsportsmanlike conduct happens while I'm not looking, then tough luck. Suck it up," he calls, and a few students look slightly worried at that revelation. "Who wants to go first?" he asks, looking for volunteers. Percy's hand shoots up in the air, as does Jason's. "Ah, the exchange students," Coach says with a grin. "Show us what you got," he says, clapping animatedly.

"You ready to get your ass smoked?" Jason mumbles quietly, and Percy snorts. "That's what you think."

"Go!"

Instead of immediately pouncing, the two inspect each other for a good seven seconds. _Then _they pounce. They roughly grab each other's shoulders, grappling for strength. Percy brings up a knee swiftly, hitting Jason on the chest. Jason coughs, backing up momentarily before full body-slamming Percy to the ground. Instead of landing on his back, Percy rolls and stands. Jason narrows his eyes at his friend, or opponent. Percy runs quickly forward, grasping Jason's right arm to immobilize it, then wraps his arm backward around Jason's left arm. Before Jason can react, Percy slams his head right into Jason's.

Both feeling slightly dazed, Percy flips Jason using his twisted arm, and Jason stands up, stumbling a bit. They glare at each other for a few seconds before engaging again. "Yeah, go Percy!" Rachel eggs on from the sidelines, and the students watch in slight horror while Coach watches on in a dazed happiness.

Jason runs forward and jumps, wrapping his arm backward around Percy's neck, using all of his strength to bring his friend up over his shoulder.

Percy will have none of that.

He quickly uses his right leg, wrapping it securely around Jason's own right leg. As Jason pulls with all of his strength, Percy does too, causing Jason's body to jackknife painfully backward. He lands on the ground, quickly jumping back to his feet. "Dude, how much have you been practicing?" he asks, and Percy smirks. "I'm not head Fighter for nothing, bro," he says before running and kicking his friend in the chest, sending his sprawling backward. Jason taps the mat three times. "I yield, I yield," he says quickly.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Coach exclaims, clapping. "100! Both of you get 100's for being badass...-tronauts! Badastronauts!" he exclaims, looking feverish. "That was a brilliant kick, Mister Jackson! And a fantastic body slam, Mister Grace!" He yells, smiling widely. "Well done; well done!"

The rest of the class speeds by (Rachel had ended up beating Bianca, but just barely; the final Judo flip really did in both of their limits), and the group soon finds themselves in front of an abandoned classroom. "Didn't I say it was perfect?" Rachel whispers softly, opening the door with a light hand. "There's even _cobwebs. _Nobody has been in here in ages," she speculates, and Percy rubs his hands together in anticipation.

"Alright. Rachel and I will stake out the room. Jason, you, Bianca, and Clarisse split up to get the others. Remember, only Beck, Luke, Thalia, Nico, and Leo, alright?" he calls, and Bianca waves noncommittally. Rachel looks at her long time friend, and can't help but see an opening. "So, do you plan on going to the dance thing?" she asks nonchalantly, making sure to raise her eyebrow at just the right angle. Years of being a Fighter teach you ways of being deceptive. Percy just grins.

"Probably. Honestly, I just want to see if it measures of to the New Universe Grande Ball. It probably won't be as stiff, and I could possibly spike the drinks, which is a plus," he says with a shrug, and Rachel smirks at that. Not only would he be going, but this was all going well along with her plan.

"Sweet," Rachel mutters devilishly, before nudging him. "Will you do me the honor of allowing me to be your date, Mr. Jackson? I bet I can sneak at least a small bottle of a _very _alcoholic beverage in using a purse," she persists. Percy seems to smile lightly at that, sticking out a hand.

"Alright, Miss Dare, I accept the offer of your hand," he replies, taking her hand and kissing it lightly. Rachel tries not to bite her lip in anticipation. Many species only have to worry about nervous ticks embarrassing them, as blushing isn't an issue. This is the case with Rachel Dare. The difference is the consistency of blood flow; a rush of blood to one area, especially when an open wound is in place, could be deadly. Species that do have consistent blood flow like Miss Dare have less of a chance of bleeding out during a battle.

Over time, most species have changed to look more like the inhabitants of the New Universe; two arms, two legs, a face with two eyes and a nose and mouth, etc. Although some species (like the Rock Monsters on Mercury) are still pretty undeveloped, other species have simply improved, in a sense. Their new looks allow them to trade and open up agreements with new civilizations without the threat of fear developing.

Some powers remain, like the ability to harden your skin into hard, lizard like scales, or lift heavy objects, from your ancestors. Some Ancient powers are passed down through generations, the most powerful ones being those of elemental and psychic ability. The current descendants are none other than Jason Grace, Thalia Grace, Nico DiAngelo, Hazel Levesque, and Percy Jackson. At least, those are the descendants with elemental abilities. Rachel and Octavian have psychic abilities, although Octavian's is much less prominent than Rachel's talent.

Jason has control over air and wind, as well as slight control over electricity. His sister, Thalia, has a much better grip on electricity, and a harder time with air and wind. She can, however, change the air temperature.

Nico has control over shadows, but his power over the dead is much more developed. While he never really uses the shadows for anything but transportation (and only sporadically at that; they have ships to move through space), Nico uses resurrected bodies and communication with ghosts to find information or raise armies.

Hazel, who, even with a different father under the title as Hades, considers a sister, is also included. Her power over rocks and minerals is unmatched, except by maybe the infamous Percy Jackson. She can attract precious stones and metals and bend them to her will, which is a valuable skill when a weapon or key is necessary in a time of need. If the metal is precious enough, like Stygian Iron or Celestial Bronze, Hazel can sap energy from the metal and transfer it to herself.

Percy Jackson's best known skill is his power over water in any form. Although with that power he should be able to create storms by will, he can really only do so when completely and recklessly angry (which only happened twice _ever) _and is therefore somewhat useless. He really is pretty level headed when it comes to _real _anger. His power over water switches in all forms, though his power over vaporized water is weak. Ice is possible, although harder to use than straight water. He cannot drown, which is advantage should he ever be taken hostage and tortured. Water has healing properties, like stones for Hazel.

Nobody knows how, exactly, but Percy also got power over the land. Earthquakes are unreliable and destructive, so he tends to avoid using them, but he was forced to before. Once. On Mercury, as a way of taking down the Rock Monsters that were attacking the universes in their solid forms. He almost imploded the entire planet, and it was decided that, should Percy ever be a menace to society, that he would be a dangerous menace.

By the way...

How much of the body of most organisms is water?

Enough, I assure you.

Leo Valdez was in an accident, and was dropped into a fire as a baby. His Mother, being a Fire Nymph, had immediately taken him out. The fire hadn't burned him, as he's resistant to fire, but somehow the fire was forged with his very being. Although useful, his powers are slightly uncontrollable, and need practice.

"Look, the only way this will work is if we get the helm," Jason urges. "Without the helm, what can we do? We'll collect two items, maybe even three, but we won't be able to use all of them. That's not the problem, though. The problem is the decision of who the Helmsman is going to be," he states, and every member of the group looks at each other warily.

"Not Jason or I," Thalia suddenly says, and Jason looks hurt for a second before sighing in acceptance. "Lust for power and control are bad fatal flaws, but with the power the Helm will give either of us... yeah, that could be catastrophic," she admits. Nico looks up, his face impassive as usual.

"Not me or Bianca. We could use the power on somebody we have a grudge against," he says softly, looking back down. Nico is a man of very few words. It's Clarisse's turn to look sheepish.

"Yeah, I think we all know it's not me. My need for carnage definitely doesn't go along with the whole 'unity warrior' persona," she mutters. Hazel coughs lightly.

"I really don't think it should be me. My flaw may not exactly clash with the Helm, but we need somebody to lead troops, and I just don't have the confidence. I'm sorry," she says, whispering the last part. Beckendorf crosses his arms.

"Sorry guys. I'll help you get the items, but no way is that going on me. Seriously, though, I'm sorry," he apologizes, his jaw clenching slightly. Leo looks away.

"Yeah, with my lack of control over my vague fire powers, I don't think some ultra powerful super helmet is a great idea," he says in his normal sarcastic voice, but he avoids eye contact after mentioning his under developed powers.

Luke, however, just shrugs. "I don't know. I mean, I guess it could be me, but only if there's no other options," he says, and Bianca glares at him. "Luke, no. Seriously, we all take turns admitting our flaws, and how they won't fit with the power, and you say that? We all know your flaw, Castellan. Admit it. You wouldn't be a good Helmsman," she says, glaring. Luke glares back, crossing his arms.

"Who are you to say that you know my flaw? Who's to say that _I _even know my flaw? If you're so sure, Bianca, then tell me. Why can't I be the Helmsman?" he snarls out, clenching his fists in anger. At a glance, it would seem that he had been angered quite easily. However, the closer you look, the more you'll notice how his shoulders didn't tense when he got angry, as they already were. How the wild glint in his eyes had been getting worse and worse periodically. How unsure he was, and how Bianca was just proving that he was right to be worried about his sanity.

"You want to know, Castellan? It's discontent. No matter how much you have, it's never truly enough. You could have all the power available, enough to please somebody with lust for power as a fatal flaw, and yet there'll always be that itch that you can't scratch in the back of your mind. Telling you that you want more, hell, that you _need _more. The Helm has too much power for you, Luke! It has to be Percy. We all know it has to be Percy," she retorts, and Luke looks away, simmering.

"Oh yeah?" Luke starts, almost shaking. "Why Jackson? He already has quite enough power. If he gets the Helm, then he'll have too much power! There needs to be balance, Bianca!"

Rachel pipes up. "His fatal flaw is loyalty. That itself offsets the power. Plus, he's already the number one Fighter of our age, Luke. Come on. I didn't even get a chance to argue my case, and I can admit that it needs to be Percy. Just move on," she says, and Luke seethes, but nods finally.

"Fine. Whatever. Let Jackson be the Helmsman, see if I care," he mutters, spitting as he rants softly. "Oh yeah, you clearly don't care at all," Thalia mutters under her breath, and Nico coughs softly.

"Moving on, we know where the Helm is. Correct?" He asks, locking eyes with Piper. She nods.

"They're hiding the Helm in the New Universe. Clever, I'll give them that much. You can hide weapons in hard to reach places, with tons of obscure obstacles, but you'll never know who's really after them. What better place for the Helm than right under the noses of the Council and the Union? Yes, they definitely know what they're doing," she says, her voice mesmerizing as always. She rips a map out of one of the ruffles in her dress, and Jason raises an eyebrow at her.

"Have you had a map in your dress all day?" he asks, and Piper smirks, shrugging. "You tell me, Grace," she replies, before laying said map down.

"Alright. They've placed the the Helm here," she declares, pulling a red-headed pin out of another one of her ruffles and jabbing into a point on the map. "I also know the location of all of the security cameras, and where the feed will go back to. Being prone to stealing and having a photographic memory do come in handy for Fighters, apparently. All we need now is a plan, and then... then the Helm is ours."

**A/N: Yes, I am aware of how thoroughly confusing this story is right now, and I am extremely sorry about that. Extremely. I'll try to straighten some details out later with more in depth conversation between characters or more background information in general, but if it's hard to understand now... OOPS. **


End file.
